Quick answer
Akita vs Saint Bernard: which should I choose?
The Saint Bernard if you want an exceptionally gentle giant, have the floor space and can absorb the cost and the drool. The Akita if lifespan and budget matter, or if you want a dog that actually guards.
Three rows tie exactly here — barking at 2/5, grooming at 3/5 and tolerating time alone at 3/5 — and then the Saint Bernard is up to 180 pounds, costs $150 to $310 a month and lives 8 to 10 years. Size is the whole story with this breed, and everything else follows from it.
This page is for someone who wants a very large, gentle dog and needs the practical consequences spelled out. It covers the choice between the rough and smooth coats, drool and heat, eyelid and cardiac problems, lifespan, and where the money goes.
The Saint Bernard is the friendlier, calmer dog with the shorter life and the far larger bill; the Akita costs less, lives longer and does the guarding.
Choose the Akita if lifespan and cost matter. It lives 10 to 13 years against the Saint Bernard's 8 to 10, costs $110–$240 a month against $150–$310, does not drool, and rates 2/5 for apartments against 1/5. You are accepting 1/5 for first-time owners, 2/5 with other dogs and strangers, and 5/5 shedding.
Choose the Saint Bernard if you want an exceptionally gentle giant and have the space and budget. It rates 5/5 with children, 4/5 with other dogs and strangers, needs only 2/5 exercise, and barks at 2/5. You are accepting up to 180 pounds, heavy drool, real heat intolerance and an 8 to 10 year life.
| Feature | akita | saint bernard | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 70–130 lbs | 120–180 lbs | Equal |
| Height | 24–28 in | 26–30 in | Equal |
| Lifespan | 10–13 years | 8–10 years | akita |
| Coat | Dense double coat | Short or long double coat | Equal |
| Grooming need | Moderate (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Equal |
| Shedding | Very high (5/5) | High (4/5) | saint bernard |
| Energy level | Moderate (3/5) | Low (2/5) | Equal |
| Exercise need | Moderate (3/5) | Low (2/5) | saint bernard |
| Trainability | Moderate (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Equal |
| Barking | Low (2/5) | Low (2/5) | Equal |
| Good with kids | Moderate (3/5) | Very high (5/5) | saint bernard |
| Good with other dogs | Low (2/5) | High (4/5) | saint bernard |
| Friendly to strangers | Low (2/5) | High (4/5) | saint bernard |
| Apartment suitability | Low (2/5) | Very low (1/5) | akita |
| Good for first-time owners | Very low (1/5) | Moderate (3/5) | saint bernard |
| Tolerates being alone | Moderate (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Equal |
| Typical monthly cost | $110–$240 | $150–$310 | akita |
| Typical first-year cost | $1,700–$3,200 | $2,200–$4,200 | akita |
The Saint Bernard comes in two coat varieties and buyers are often unaware there is a decision to make.
The smooth-coated dog has a short dense double coat. It sheds heavily but the work is easy — a rubber curry and a rake in the shedding seasons — and it dries quickly after a wet walk.
The rough-coated dog carries a long double coat with feathering, and it needs brushing through to the skin two or three times a week, more when it is dropping coat. It mats behind the ears, in the ruff and on the trousers, holds mud and water, and takes a long time to dry.
Both shed at 4/5, which on a 160-pound dog is a substantial amount of hair. Grooming rates 3/5 as an average across the two.
Neither variety should ever be clipped, and the same rule applies to the Akita: a double coat insulates against heat as well as cold.
The Akita's own coat is denser and shorter, and the work is concentrated — a weekly brush for ten months, then two or three weeks of raking twice a year.
Two practicalities dominate life with a Saint Bernard and neither shows up in a rating.
The first is drool. Loose flews collect saliva which is then distributed by a head shake — walls, furniture, trousers, visitors. Households keep towels in every room, and if this would bother you it is a sufficient reason to choose differently.
The second is heat. A heavy double-coated dog with a great deal of mass and relatively little surface area sheds heat slowly. Saint Bernards overheat readily, and summer exercise has to move to the cool ends of the day with shade and water available.
The third, which is less discussed, is logistics. A dog this size that cannot walk cannot be carried. A ramp and a large-dog stretcher bought early are worth more than most equipment, because the evening you need them is not an evening you can shop.
The Akita is a large dog rather than a giant one, has a dry mouth, and manages heat better than its coat suggests — though it too should walk early and late in summer.
Entropion appears on the Saint Bernard's list and it is a direct consequence of the head. Heavy facial skin and loose lids mean the lid can roll inward so the lashes abrade the cornea — painful, damaging to sight, and surgically correctable. Ectropion, the outward roll that leaves the eye exposed and dry, occurs for the same reason. A Saint Bernard squinting or with a persistently weeping eye should be examined rather than wiped.
Dilated cardiomyopathy is the cardiac entry, common across giant breeds, and cardiac examination from middle age is sensible.
Hip and elbow dysplasia are the orthopaedic pair, and both parents should have scores you can see as numbers. Growth management matters as much as genetics: a large-breed puppy food with controlled calcium and energy, no calcium supplementation, a visibly lean puppy, and restricted forced exercise until the growth plates close.
Bloat completes the list and is an emergency measured in hours. Both breeds are deep-chested; both households should know the signs and consider a preventive gastropexy at neutering.
The Akita adds autoimmune and endocrine disease and lives two to three years longer.
The Saint Bernard runs $150–$310 a month and $2,200–$4,200 in the first year, against the Akita's $110–$240 and $1,700–$3,200.
Food is the visible part — a 160-pound dog eats a great deal, and large-breed puppy food for eighteen months is a serious line on its own. Everything else scales too: parasite treatment, most medications, anaesthesia, joint supplements and boarding are all priced by weight.
The large risks are large in proportion. Bloat surgery, cardiac management, eyelid correction and orthopaedic procedures in a giant dog are all four-figure events, and insurance for giant breeds is priced with that in mind. Check the excess structure as well as the premium.
The one place the Saint Bernard saves you money is exercise equipment and time — 2/5, two moderate walks, timed around temperature.
And the number that frames all of it is the lifespan. Eight to ten years is a short return on that investment, and it is the honest reason many people who love the breed choose something smaller the second time.
These two are more alike in daily rhythm than the size difference suggests. Both are quiet at 2/5, both cope with a working day at 3/5, both need moderate grooming at 3/5, and neither is a busy dog indoors.
The Saint Bernard is much the friendlier animal: 5/5 with children, 4/5 with other dogs and strangers, against 3/5, 2/5 and 2/5. It is a rescue breed, not a guard breed, and its bulk does the deterring without any intent behind it.
It also needs less exercise — 2/5 against 3/5 — which is counter-intuitive for a dog that worked in mountain snow, and reflects what a modern adult Saint Bernard actually is: a slow, heavy dog that overheats easily and should not be pushed.
The decisive numbers are cost and lifespan. $150–$310 a month against $110–$240, and 8 to 10 years against 10 to 13.
And the apartment rating is 1/5, the lowest available, for a dog with a 2/5 exercise need — that rating is entirely about floor space.
The smooth-coated dog has a short dense double coat that sheds heavily but needs only a curry brush and a rake in the shedding seasons. The rough-coated dog has a long feathered coat that mats behind the ears, in the ruff and on the trousers, needs brushing to the skin two or three times a week, and takes a long time to dry.
A great deal, and it is the most underestimated part of ownership. Loose flews pool saliva which is then distributed by a head shake onto walls, furniture and clothing. Owners keep towels in every room. The Akita has a dry, tight mouth and does not do this at all.
Because that rating is about floor space rather than output. At 2/5 exercise it is one of the least demanding dogs to walk. But a 30-inch dog weighing up to 180 pounds needs room to turn around, lie down and get past furniture, and a flat rarely provides it.
Only 2/5 — two moderate walks for an adult, timed around temperature, because the breed overheats readily. What matters far more is restraint during growth: restricted forced exercise, no stairs or jumping, and a visibly lean puppy until the growth plates close.
The eyelid rolls inward so the lashes abrade the cornea, which is painful and damages sight. Heavy facial skin and loose lids make it common in Saint Bernards, along with ectropion, the outward roll that leaves the eye exposed and dry. Both are surgically correctable — a weeping or squinting eye should be examined, not wiped.
The Akita, at 10 to 13 years against the Saint Bernard's 8 to 10. Size is the driver: bloat, cardiac disease and joint problems all appear at elevated rates in giant breeds, and the cumulative load on the heart and skeleton is simply greater.
The Saint Bernard, at $150–$310 a month against the Akita's $110–$240, and $2,200–$4,200 against $1,700–$3,200 in the first year. Food explains part of it and weight-dosed medication, anaesthesia and boarding explain the rest.
The Saint Bernard if you want an exceptionally gentle giant, have the floor space and can absorb the cost and the drool. The Akita if lifespan and budget matter, or if you want a dog that actually guards.
The Saint Bernard runs $150–$310 a month and the Akita $110–$240, with first-year totals of $2,200–$4,200 and $1,700–$3,200. Nearly everything for a giant breed is priced by weight.
The Saint Bernard at 5/5 against the Akita's 3/5 — it is a rescue breed rather than a guard breed and genuinely tolerant. The caveat is momentum: 160 pounds moving through a room needs managing around toddlers.
No. A double coat insulates against heat as well as cold, and clipping often produces a coarser regrowth that insulates worse. Move summer walks to early morning and late evening for both breeds instead.
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Health information here is general and is not veterinary advice. If your dog shows pain, sudden behaviour change, or worsening symptoms, consult a licensed veterinarian.
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